“I thought he broke my hip because it was puck on bone,” Vanek said this afternoon after practicing inside the First Niagara Center, his first session back on the ice.

But the Sabres’ leading scorer has healed quickly. He felt good during the short skate and believes he can return Saturday in Montreal following a one-game absence.

“I’ve gotten hit many times, but not in that spot,” Vanek said. “For the next two days, I couldn’t move my leg much. It’s one of those things it got better a little bit at a time, and yesterday, all of a sudden it made a big jump.”

Ehrhoff, of course, possesses the team’s most lethal shot.

“It’s probably the worst guy. He shot it hard,” Vanek said. “I tried getting out of the way. But at that speed it’s tough to react.”

In other injury news, Andrej Sekera skated today and will see how he feels Saturday morning. It’s likely the defenseman will return next week, though, interim Sabres coach Ron Rolston said.

Meanwhile, winger Nathan Gerbe missed today’s session but is fine and will accompany the team to play the Canadiens, Rolston said.